Birjand University of Medical Sciences specialises in healthcare sciences such as medicine and dentistry.
The university is located in the South Khorasan county of Iran. It was established in 1985 as the Medical College of Birjand and then gained its university status in 1993.
The university has five schools offering degree programmes that include: medicine, dentistry, nursing and midwifery, allied medicine and health.
In addition to its schools, the Birjand University of Medical Sciences has a wide range of research centres and groups helping to improve healthcare research and methods in Iran and across the world. These research centres specialise in cardiovascular disease, cellular and molecular research, social determinants of health, infectious diseases, medical toxicology, experimental medicine and asthma and allergies. In addition, the university has a Health Technology Incubation Centre that encourages the innovation and entrepreneurship of students and staff to develop health technology to improve treatment, diagnosis and prevention.
Each year the university admits 10 students for general medicine, five students for dentistry, and one PhD student in each field of study, making it a highly selective and competitive institution. The courses are taught in the Persian language and therefore students must successfully pass a Persian Language Course to be admitted.
As a medical institution, the university partners with three teaching-therapeutic hospitals, seven therapeutic hospitals, 11 public health networks and 316 public health centres, allowing students to develop their practical skills while learning from health professionals.
Birjand is the capital of the South Khorasan county, and borders Afghanistan. It is one of Iran’s main academic centers with 14 universities and over 50,000 students in the area.
